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July 7, 2023 | Vol. 2 Iss. 27
Covering Your Community
MHS senior Londyn Elmer achieves perfect 36 on ACT About one-quarter of 1% of students who take the ACT earn a top score.
page 9
MORGAN COUNTY NEWS Since 1929
M
4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION
organ Valley celebrated the Fourth of July starting July 2, with the annual Spike Night hosted by the Morgan High School Volley Ball team. Tuesday morning stated with a 5k hosted by MHS cross country team. Breakfast was served at Riverside Park, sponsored by the volley ball team. The parade started at 10 am going down Trojan Blvd., turning onto Commercial Street to the fairgrounds. Once there the community enjoyed bounce houses, food trucks, games and entertainment. The Rubber Ducking Derby commenced at the river near the fairgrounds, followed by the annual Cardboard Regatta. At 6:30 a talent show entertained the crowd as they gather for a concert featuring Code Blue Revival. The night ended with a bang with a spectacular firework show. Look for more photos on pages 6 and 7.
NEWS BREAK
PARADE BEING LED by Morgan County Sheriff's Department.
Joey Chestnut wins 16th Mustard Belt After a two hour weather delay (lightning was covering the Coney Island skyline), Joey Chestnut and his competition finally took the stage for the Nathan’s Famous Independence Day Hot Dog Eating Contest, an American tradition since 1972. The event has been officially sanctioned by the Major League Eating organization since 1997. In that time, Chestnut has been named the winner of the Mustard Belt 16 times, this one marking his 8th in a row. Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes, well ahead of second place. The women’s contest winner, Miki Sudo, ate 39.5 in what became her ninth win. Both plan to return next year.
July 4, 2023 identified as hottest global day on record MORGAN’S AMERICAN LEGION and VFW bringing patriotism to the community.
Photos by Lydeah Johnson
New tools for fighting invasive species introduced By Braden Nelsen
T
hough nature can be very robust in many ways, wildlife ecology can be a surprisingly delicate balance. Released Burmese pythons in Florida have been wreaking havoc on the ecosystem as they climb to the top of their food chain without any natural predators, many invasive animals and plants have radically changed the ecology of Hawaii, and while Utah has had invasive species before, the state now faces the threat of yet another that could drastically change wildlife. The creature in question is the now infamous Quagga muscle. Originating from the Dnipro River area in Ukraine, the pesky little bivalve has become a major problem in freshwater ecosystems across the United States, particularly the Great Lakes. In recent years, however, they have become a mounting problem in Utah. While currently localized to Lake Powell, the muscles present a significant threat to Utah in not only local ecology but the local economy as well. Quagga muscles are small enough that they can invade water delivery systems, prompting expensive cleanup and removal, they eat plankton, a main food source for many Utah fish, and they can even damage
DIP TANK on page 2 A BOATER UTILIZES THE NEW dip tank to clean off any potential invasive Quagga muscles before heading out.
Courtesy Photo
According to temperature reporting from around the globe, July 4 marks the hottest temperature which has ever been recorded as an average of global temperatures over a 24 hour period. The temperature itself was listed as 62.62 degrees Fahrenheit. If that sounds mild, remember that half of the world is experiencing winter, and the global temperature average includes the polar regions. Climate experts predict that the record will be broken this year at least a few more times, given weather-modelling predictions.
Riders stuck on fair ride for several hours In what surely must be many people’s worst fear, eight passengers were stuck upside down on a roller coaster ride at the Forest County Festival in Crandon, Wisconsin. The “Fireball” ride apparently experienced a mechanical failure that left the cars locked into place at the top of a loop in the ride. Eventually emergency personnel were able to safely extricate the passengers with harnesses and lower them to safety, after waiting for emergency services to arrive from 45 minutes away. All in all, ten fire vehicles, nine ambulances, and fifty personnel aided in the rescue.